Added to our squad this summer will be the returning loanees Kyle Naughton, David Bentley and Robbie Keane, all of whom are over 21.

It is also important to note that the following players will no longer be able to be considered under-21s from next season, and will therefore have to be named in the 25-man squad if we want to use them:

Even if those players leave, we will likely need to either not include others or sell more players in order to improve the squad, and so it’s no wonder that most of the newspapers are reporting that we will be having an end of season clear-out.

The Independent reported on Thursday that offers would be considered for Roman Pavlyuchenko, Niko Kranjcar, Alan Hutton, Vedran Corluka and Wilson Palacios (as well as Robbie Keane, Jamie O’Hara, Giovani dos Santos, and David Bentley). I would personally add Sebastien Bassong, Jermaine Jenas, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch to this list, as all of them are a level below where we would like to be. I would also put on record at this point, that I wouldn’t sell either Corluka or Kranjcar – Kranjcar in particular seems certain to be leaving (with Roma supposedly interested), but I would expect Corluka to stay.

Redknapp’s signings so far

My concern for the summer is Redknapp’s previous transfer record at Spurs. Below are his signings so far:

Whilst recognising that a number of these players were bought at a time when we were desperate for any improvement (and also some “big characters”), it’s worrying how we have paid huge figures for relatively average players during Redknapp’s spell. The only players that can be said to have been truly successful signings are Sandro (who, at £6m, looks a real bargain), Walker (who has great potential and is already worth at least double what we paid), van der Vaart, and Gallas. Other than Gallas, rumours suggest that Redknapp was not heavily involved in any of these transfers. A number of his signings have had some good spells (Kranjcar, Bassong, Defoe, etc), but a fair few have been total flops (Pletikosa, Keane, Chimbonda).

In revealing this morning that his scouts suggested that Luis Suarez was, essentially, not what we needed, I worry about whether we are capable of shopping around and finding the appropriate players at appropriate prices. The late bids in January for Llorente, Rossi, Forlan, Aguero, etc etc, suggest more of a scatter gun approach than a disciplined and targeted approach to identifying potential signings.

What type of players do we need?

I would imagine that we will need to sign the following (at least), and probably in this order:

Whilst we should make plenty of money with the outgoing transfers, most of these funds could easily be sapped by signing one or two top forwards, and it will be vital that we shop around and look for bargains elsewhere.

Many names have been mentioned, particularly in terms of strikers, and in truth, most would be an improvement on what we have; the difficulty is that we are looking for strikers that are prepared to accept no Champions League football. Of those potentially available, Falcao of Porto would be my preference as first-choice, with someone like van Nistelrooy/Elmander (both available for free) and a younger player that could qualify as an under-21 (Lukaku if that deal is possible, or Wickham if not) brought in as back-up. The difficulty is that these players will not be cheap, and it is important not to be held to ransom. Cheaper alternatives are always there, but making use of the scouting network is crucial.

Summary

Including returning loanees and players who are now to old to be considered “under-21”, we have 33 players fighting for the 25 squad places next season (before we make any signings). It will be vital to move out of favour players on before bringing new faces in; we don’t want to end up with lots of players on big wages who are not even eligible having been left out of the 25-man squad.

We need to strengthen our forward line as a priority and if this means selling all four of our strikers in order to be able to afford one or two top class replacements, so be it.

In identifying transfer targets, it will be important to consider the ages of potential targets. For example, Phil Jones and David Hoilett of Blackburn, or Connor Wickham of Ipswich could represent useful transfer targets as they would not need to be named as part of our 25-man squad.

Join the conversation

Anonymous14th May 2011 at 15:48

At last an interesting read that makes sense - I'm sick of paying over the odds for rubbish players and missing out on good players who are hardly any more expensive - Falcao and Hulk in, with Kane on the bench, Cahill in to replace Woodgate, Bassong and King (sorry but we can't afford a place for him any longer), a keeper to push Gomes and replace the 2 that are leaving. Personally I don't think we have been the same team since VDV joined - a great start but poor in the latter part of the season. I would build the future of our team around Dawson, Kaboul, Walker, BAE, Modric, Huddlestone, Sandro, Bale, Lennon, Caulker, Rose and Bostock - give the kid a chance.

My concern is not who we need to buy, but who we need to sell / offload.We all know Dan Levy likes to make a few quid, but with players like Keane, where we know he will never get a game, surely we have to literally give him away. No club is going to match his wages if they have to pay a transfer fee as well, and that goes for a few other players we have on long contracts.

We need to act quickly and firmly - getting all those definitely going out as soon as possible, and making proper serious offers for any players we want and getting the deals done.

We can't end up starting a season again with a situation like the Berbatov saga, damaging the team stability from the start.

Get into the market, make it clear who is going and just get them out and act decisively.

The main priority from the board should be to do all, or most of their dealings early in the Market so they're with the team for as long as possible and also not allow redknapp to have anything to do with who we sign. The guy has never been any good in the transfer Market and all this wheeler dealer stuff is ridiculous.

Big summer which I fear could fail with an inability to get rid of the players we no longer need or want.

Windy excellent stats but please don't talk about Defoe and Crouch going because we have done that and they produced 28 goals last year. Crouch his one of only two players at 6ft7 and over playing with in the prem this gives us a big advantage in some games. Defoe showed playing to his strengths he can score some crackers but benching him has not helped his confidants or sharpness Harry has played to Vans strengths and Not Spurs strengths and its this and energy that has ruined our campaign and helped City get fourth. This is down to the missing B sample that Alan Green mentioned on the Radio today and i mentioned it on blogs yesterday. Just look at Liverpool rise up the table with Maxi scoring seven goals when he was rubbish there goals and defence have improved with there tempo and its not just Liverpool who have benefited from this tempoi was told by the very people who caught Toure it was rife. So when you want to get rid of players please factor in your thinking why there was so many shocks and this should help you Danny Caddamateri now at Huddersfield trying to get promoted in the play offs Paddy Kenny promoted QPR Kolo Toure fourth and the Fa cup all have got caught taking drugs that make you play like Liverpool and others fast high tempo with defending and attacking with the same numbers for 90 plus mins . This is why there is a long tale of relegation and it proves other divisions are using it to get promoted and stay up.

My issue is, if our scouts were decent, we'd pick up quality players on the 'cheap' for competition for key areas in the squad and then spend big on a world class forward and perhaps two more in other areas to consolidate/progress.

The worry (not for some) is that Levy might cash in for Bale so we could have £40M to spend. The assumption of course is whether anyone would pay that amount for him in the first place.

I just wrote an absolutely mammoth post that disappeared the moment I attempted to post it. Oh well; I shall try to be briefer this time.

I do not understand the growing consensus that Defoe should be shown the door, particularly just when he's starting to show some glimpes of form (2 goals in his last 2 starts, and decent ones at that). He's had a poor season, sure, but not without mitigating circumstances: injury, suspension, and an apparent crisis of confidence and evidenced by his performance against West Ham. What do you expect, though, from a player who's barely been given two consecutive starts all season? Through no fault of his own a lot of the time as well: he scores one match, he's dropped for the next. A collosal man-management misstep from Harry, I think. And it's not like the service to him has been great either; in the time Jermain's been injury and suspension free, we have largely been poor as a team.

You're also apparently advocating replacing our entire senior strikeforce with players who have never played in the Premier League, or even at a comparable level, with the exception of Elmander (who may well be a good signing, but has hardly been a model of consistency during his time in England) and Van Nistelrooy, who'll be 35 by the time next season starts. Other than that, I have no qualms with the particular players you've suggested, but I don't see how such an uncompromising overhaul can ever be wise.

I guess you could argue we have nothing to lose, but I disagree: Defoe is easily good enough to play for a team hoping to compete in the Champions League. At 28, he should be coming right into his prime, and I think some of his form last season, as well as at the beginning of this season (I know he didn't score before getting injured, but he looked very sharp), indicates that that is exactly the case. His teamwork, movement and hold-up play have all improved immeasurably during the last few years - he even seems to be getting over his tendency to hit the ball straight at the 'keeper when one-one-one - so to suggest we get rid is at best reactionary and at worst grossly unfair.

Anon @ 16:48 - cheers. Certainly like your idea of bringing the young players through but, at 17, Kane is not quite ready yet. He'll have another season in League One next season I'd think (although I'd love to see him play an early round League Cup match). Rose has been great in his two games, and I'm hoping he keeps his place tomorrow - he has done his chances no harm at all.

Anon @ 17:08 - Still think we need to get rid of Defoe and Crouch, personally, and sadly I think Kranjcar's days are numbered. As for Lennon back up - what do you think of Hoilett or Chung Yong Lee?

Anon @ 17:13 - I agree re: O'Hara, but I think he has burnt his bridges. I'd not have signed Pienaar in the first place but now he's here I can't see him going. VDV? Think you're probably on your own there!

Anon @ 17:17 - Sturridge is a fantastic player. I'd be happy for us to go all out for him, as he's worth it.

SpursSimon - glad you got your comment up, apologies for the issues! It's a shame that West Ham aren't staying up in some ways, as we had a £6m deal agreed for Keane. I think QPR are our best hope... Totally agree re: acting quickly. I would seriously hope that we've already started preparing.

Phleanix - cheers. Mattock's a decent player. I don't know Jose Angel - what kind of player is he? Aguero, as you say, is probably out of reach, sadly.

LemonadeMoney - cheers! Hopefully a busy summer.

Drwinston - Agreed. Another benefit of getting in quickly is that we can do our dealings before we are met with competition.

Anon @ 17:56 - IMO playing to Crouch's strengths is, by definition, not playing to our other player's strengths. He's no longer a good fit in our side and, at 30, this is probably our last chance to get shot and be able to recoup some cash.

Spooky - cheers! Tend to agree. I don't want to criticise too much, as I'm sure our scouts DO do plenty of good work (hell, Sandro was a great bit of business, and I really like Luongo, who is an 18 year old that we picked up from an Australian team), but it does seem like they don't find many gems...

Adam - really sorry, the same happened to SpursSimon earlier. I can only suggest Ctrl-A/Ctl-V before posting, just in case. Ruddy Blogger! Thanks for such a long comment, I appreciate it. My own opinion on Defoe is that he's now slowing down (in terms of goals AND pace) but, even in his highest-scoring seasons, he scores a few less than our top striker probably needs to. I must also disagree on his general qualities - I think he's considerably worse than you make him out to be; his hold-up play has improved (there's no doubt about that), but his general awareness and football brain are still badly lacking. Whilst I would usually totally agree with your points re: an overhaul generally (I am a huge believer in continuity), since most of the players that I have advocated leaving have barely played, I'd suggest that it will have limited impact. In terms of strikers, VDV is essentially a number 10, so there's only really one striker place. And Falcao could hardly do worse than Crouch or Defoe of this season...

Firstly, i believe that we are not too many players away form being a top side and the strikers are what let us down this season! You said: 2/3 x strikers1 x goalkeeper (competition for Gomes)1 x centre back (to replace Bassong/Woodgate)1 x left back (competition for Assou-Ekotto) 1 x right winger (competition for Lennon)

1. Marteen Steklenburg- Dutch No 1 and plays for Ajax- has one year left on his contract- could be good for us!2. Jan Vertonghen- center back- also plays for Ajax and is left footed- which is really good because Dawson has been playing on the left to accommodate Gallas and hasn't been as dominant as he was last season playing on the right - Can also play left back which means he covers 2 positions on the list.3. Jan Vertonghen and Danny Rose will be good enough cover for BAE.3. Piennar can play on the right so moving to stikers- Lukas Podolski- who is a German Wayne Rooney- with a left foot and better looks! Can play up front,Second striker and Left wing/left mid and in the hole. We all saw him against England and in the Euros- the guy is so good and is really underrated!Could be a star for us!4.Karim Benzema- Striker-He will finally replace Berbatov! Guy is amazing and would probably break our transfer record but he will be worth it! If we get these players- we will be amazing- just hope we get the right players!COYS!

He's now slowing down in terms of goals? Last season was his highest-scoring season ever, both in the league and overall. And for England. This season, as I've said (as if it needed saying), there have been plenty of mitigating circumstances with regard to his decreased contibrution. Wayne Rooney's so far scored 20 less goals this season than last, having played only 7 less games - what are we putting that down to? A player in decline at 25? Jermain may well now be on the down rather than the up, but to extrapolate that from the fact he's gone from his highest-scoring season ever straight into an injury and suspension-blighted low-scoring one is absurd.

I also never said he should be our top striker (in fact in my initial post, I specifically said he *shouldn't* be the benchmark, but that got lost in redux), but it's not as black and white as that, is it. Say we bring in Falcao, Wickham and Elmander. Falcao needs time to settle and Wickham isn't up to the grade yet (which, having seen him play a fair bit, he almost definitely isn't). You'd rather put your faith in Elmander than Defoe, would you? A player who's only scored 18 goals in 91 appearances for Bolton, i.e. less than Defoe scored last season alone? And it's not like Defoe is merely up to being a squad player either (or my interpretation of what a squad player is, anyway). If he hits a good run of form, he's an extremely potent weapon. Maybe he'll never be able to keep it up for a whole season, but so what? Very few players can. That's part of the reason you have a squad - to increase the chances of having 11 players in form at the same time. Are you saying, even at his best, you don't think Defoe's good enough? Because I think you're asking for a hell of a lot if so.

And finally, with regard to there only being one striker place, there are two really aren't there, it just so happens that Rafa takes up one of them. We could bring in another attacking midfielder rather than a striker to act as cover, but then we're committing ourselves to a system that we only really play so we can fit Rafa in. We could bring Modric further forward if Rafa gets injured or loses form, but then we're stretching the midfield thin. (Having said that, I'm very much of the opinion that Modric *should* be played further forward, but that's getting away from the point.) So even with Rafa in the squad, I don't see how we can do without three senior strikers, of which Defoe should be one. But hey, the grass is always greener...

Anon @ 18:54 - good suggestions. I'm not sure on Podolski - he's a good player but his scoring record is not the best. I think we should aim for a more prolific striker if possible. Massive fan of Benzema, but think he's more likely to go to Arsenal...

Adam - indeed, he scored 18 league goals last season, which I think was his highest by 4/5 goals. However, for over a calendar year he has looked a very poor player. I guess the question is: how long do you stick with a player and hope that he gets back to form? Redknapp stuck with him for the back end of last season, and he barely scored. He had a run of 10 or so games earlier this season and barely scored.

I totally take the point you're making about having a squad that are all capable of coming in and performing but, since Defoe has supposedly already been making noises about leaving if he doesn't get more starts, I can't see how it's going to work - especially if he DOESN'T score many!

I'd be happier giving Falcao 10-15 starts in the hope that he starts producing the goods, than Defoe. Falcao has the potential to be a wonderful player - he offers a lot to Porto aside from goals. Defoe, at best, would bang in some goals (probably some vital ones). But I don't think that Defoe helps to bring the best out of other players and so when he isn't scoring, he's not nearly as effective as others could be.

Essentially, I think Defoe is a good player - not a great player. He is a level below our best players - Sandro/Modric/Bale/VDV are at the level we should be aiming for.

Well I think Jermain has been treated poorly this season and I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to pack his bags, but that doesn't mean he should be shown the door. Also (I assume) Harry's treatment of Jermain this season has largely been short-termist, i.e. he hasn't been willing to give him the time required to build up his match fitness and confidence, and if Defoe's still around next year, with a full pre-season under his belt, the same thing won't happen again. There's also a difference between being dropped for Roman Pavlyuchenko and being dropped for... you know... someone good.

Agree with many of the comments above.On the left side, we may be able to get away without cover for BAE if Rose is given more chances- he looks good at LB. Cover for both Lennon and Bale could be provided by Matt Jarvis, you could pick him up for £6-8m, particularly if Wolves are relegated. Agree that Wickham and Falcoa are candidates up front. We need competition for Gomes. The return of Walker should allow Hutton to leave at RB. At CB Woodgate should leave, with Jones and Cahill as possibles

Excellent article - The bit about Redknapps buys is enough to make you wince, if not get into bed, pull the duvet over your head & cry your eyes out!

I'm just glad that while Harry spent all last summer fluttering his eyelashes at J Cole (what a 'great' signing he turned out to be) Levy was busy sounding out Madrid about Van der Vaart ie. Someone who has made a difference this season.

I agree with the other fans who are bigging up Cahill & Jones as they are good young footballers but we are not that far away from having a future England centre back already. Steven Caulker might not be ready just yet, but he ain't far away from being an absolutely belting player. I would hate to see us sign a player for loads of money who will then hinder Steven's chances of making it at Spurs (No, I'm not his dad!) A Bristol City season ticket holder I know, says that he has been the stand out defender for them this season and what I've seen of him has really impressed me. We should think hard before lashing out millions on another 'prospect' when we already have our own...

We should release the likes of Pletikosa, King (1 or 2 games a season aint worth it), Woodgate(same as ledley).

We could also sell he likes of Hutton (average at best), Jenas (QPR are welcome to him), Palacios (the poor mans Sandro) ,O’Hara (Wants to leave, we have better),Bentley (No need to say anything), Kranjcar (Id like to keep him, but he's going), Dos Santos (same as kranjcar), Pavlyuchenko (not up to it),Crouch (1 dimensional and even his 1 dimension is average at best), Keane (past it).

Not sure about Naughton.

We should save ourselves a fortune in wages and get in a few quid from these sales.

Sign a new keeper any of the names mentioned (if available, somebody reliable)

As much as I like VDV and recognise is talent, Its obvious that his arrival has had a negative affect on the team. The thing I dislike the most is the talk that he may have a clause in his contract whereby he must play if fit. If thats the case Id cash him in for and buy another striker. The team is always more important than 1 player.

Think we are only a couple of signings away from improvement mainly upfront and a decent keeper.

Anon @ 20:22 - agree, Rose has looked great. I've based this article on the rumours that both Rose and Caulker will be on loan at lower hahlf PL clubs next season. I would personally have them both in and around the squad, but I can see Redknapp going with more experienced players.

Gosport Dave - thanks! Totally agree re: Cole - thank goodness we missed him. I am a huge Caulker fan too (he was named Bristol City Young Player of the Year yesterday), but I have a feeling that Redknapp won't take a chance just yet. I also think that if we lose Bassong, Woodgate and King (which is possible), we may need two more CBs to go with Dawson, Gallas and Kaboul. Whether Khumalo is good enough to be one, I'm not sure.

Anon @ 01:42 - I tend to agree re: King, but would love to see him kept on in some capacity - rare that you get a one-club man nowadays (even if his hand has been somewhat forced by injury). I'd love to think that Redknapp will include Townsend on the bench for the last two games, just to get him some experience, but I just can't see it happening.

rednapp didn't no where to play modric and Kranjcar, at a time where we played our best football, easily in the last ten years. The toffee literally spills all over Harrys grubby little fingers...at one point last season the football was 'out of this world'. He cannot rotate the squad almost properly..so what if dos santos didn't turn out to be the new Ronaldhino, his football brain and touch is exquisite, Pav Defoe Crouch any body? who have the combined first touches of an over reaching baby delivered from a whom...or naive dear in the head lights of success. NOw he has to force feed VDV in to the squad, y is this such a struggle, how can you not be able to make it work? but nit struggle to accomodate a player like CRouch or defoe? i realise that having a view makes us idiots, but harry is the clown, the media whore lowering our calibre with every breath of bullshi that he utters. Lets see where he goes from here and if anyone can remember, then please tell this toxic bafoon where it is that he ha sarrived..Not hard to see why players that won us important games last year, cannot get there offerings past his ego.

If you are intent on keeping Gomes, you'll finish out of the top 5 seeing as he costs you around 9 points per season with his clangers. Gomes is just a clown who can't catch. Don't smell his funny flower! Honk!

Couple of points to take issue with here. We reportedly turned down an offer from Bremen for £7.5 for Niko, so if we get anywhere near this price for him, he has to be considered a success.

The other is Connor Wickham. He may or may not be the real deal, but he has hardly been prolific with a strike rate of 1-in-5. I mourn our ability to sign a new striker, but it looks to me like most of those we could have/should have signed are not doing any better than what we have at present.

Regarding a mass clear out of "surplus" players, I have noticed a growing trend for the smaller clubs (i.e. the most likely buyers of our cast offs) just don't seem to have the money to spend and only want to take loan players, where we are probably contributing to their wages.

clear out i think..ie loanies kean,bentley,ohara but keep walker look promising. cash in on some other players ie wilson palasios-how ever u spell his name..need a trusty goal keeper,and a goal marchine oh and i would keep VDV

I'm glad someone has finally noticed Lee of Bolton, who may not have Lennon's pace but is a more skilful player with a better end product at present.As regards Adam's defence of Defoe, perhaps you could enlighten me as to why he cannot manage to keep himself onside? He would manage to be offside taking a penalty! Watching Bent against the Goons made me wonder why Defoe doesn't actually follow the play rather than ball watch.Marko Marin would be a great acquisition to take Luca's place in case we lose him season after next if we don't make top four. I also would like either Adams or Parker to replace Palacios, the former being the better player as well as a potential captain; I prefer the captain to be a midfielder.Sweetsman

I think that this season there should be a total revamp of the squad, with the peripheral players allowed to leave, and new blood to invigorate the team. Also I think that experienced players like Parker and Van Nistelrooy (Who has experience of winning things)to motivate the younger players.On the way out would be Gomes, Cudicini, Pletikosa, Alnwick, Hutton, Woodgate, Bassong,Naughton, Bentley, Jenas, Palacios, O'Hara, Dos Santos, Kranjcar (sadly), Keane, Pavlyuchenko, as most of these are sometime squad players or loanees.

Whats happening with Oscar Jansson??, an great golie that has not been given the chance since Ramos left, Maybe thats the problem, Oscar did well for Ramos, then Redknapp,,,,,, Oscar is young and he is not an first golie yet, but I think he is good enough to be as nr 3 in Spurs

O'Hara- Confirmed leaving with a deal with WolvesKeane- Loss on him, but he's utter deadweightBentley- Waste of money, useless in the EPLDos Santos- In place to leave as well

Woodgate- Harry all but confirmed it. Can't waste space on a player who hardly plays.Crouch- Doesn't work with our style of play, waste of spacePalacios- Slow, inaccurate, questionable mindPletikosa- Didn't use at allAlnwick- Haven't seen him play but we need a keeper so we can hardly have another 3 sub keepersLivermore- Haven't heard of himBassong- Not great, out of favour now

That's 10 players gone which gets us down to 23.

Given we need at the very least a keeper, striker and centreback we still need to cut the squad down.

Jenas- Definition of fringe playerHutton or Corluka- Both can be good when they overperform but are not what we need if we want regular CL football.

I see us having at least:1. Bale2. Modric3. Dawson4. King5. Sandro6. Lennon7. Van der Vaart8. Assou-Ekotto9. Gallas10. Pavlyuchenko11. Defoe12. Rose13. Huddlestone14. Pienaar15. Kaboul16. Cudicini (honestly he could be #1, could he not? hasn't exactly had enough time to prove himself, but ofc a younger keeper would be better)

wow how the thinking changes when Crouch got us to the promise land and Defoe was banging the goals in it was happy lane. Now fast forward another season and we want a steroid freak to lead us back. One word of causion last year was a special year Citys millions finaly got them a cup and a drug cheat yes a drug cheat harsh words but true . He made the excuse he had weight problems a man who has free gym free conditioner free doctor on hand great medical facilatys and he used his wifes waistline and Masking agents rubbish. I have bean trying to get these cheating drugs banned where teams look dead at half time and come out in a 6th gear just like Wunderland did today. The team they drawn with was the one who first alerted this form of cheating and its also dangerous to your health has a member of the champions can testify you can starve to death or drop die. So when you want Defoe and Crouch out remember this Liverpool forked 55 million out and they still couldn't beat a team that has not won there since the 1970. I no this is controversial but true defences are on top through enegised players and you can see it in there gaunt looking faces and weight loss alresdy. Defoe will score and Crouch if we keep the one person who can bypass this energised closing down Tom Huddlestone who can ping a ball over the blanket defending and get Lennon and Bale away by the time Modric run witht the ball there will be at least eight players waiting in the box to stob us scoring have a look windy like i did we dominated games but suffered from blocks bad tackle and tremendous saves no matter who was in goals, Let me cast you mind back when we faced Stoke at Home we battered them and reserve goalkeeper and we got beat by a sucker goal from Whelan the goalkeeper concede four in the next game in the league cup and was sold.This is why you cat predict any game and the bookmakers are winning . Today no home team won the shocks are already starting especially in the second half we dont need new players just good luck no bad injuries and better testing i no toure never took is wifes slimmers he was a menber and captain of one of the best defences and he was not alone. So if you think Hulk can score the goals Defoe and Crouch cant then spend 30 million because i no he wont and i also no Defoe and Crouch are ready to try and Tom Missile and fit defenders they will.

i read everything i can about how to improve the spurs team,there are so many different views.lets start at the top-i think levy is the best top man i have seen in my very long years of following the spurs.as for the manager i am irritated by his constant toadying up to everyone he comes into contact with,everybody is a lovely fella,or teriffic bloke,in other words he is a total creep arse,so long as it suits his purpose.i doubt his loyalty to tottenham and at the first sign of a few extra pounds in his rocket he will be off.i don't think he is pulling the wool over levy's eyes.as for the team,we need a bit of a shake up or should i say shake out.in all my time following spurs i have never known us to have so many midfielders,HR must have thought he was stacking shelves at tescos with the numbers he has acquired.if we are trying to improve,lets buy the best,quality not quantity.one thing i am glad about is the number and quality of our youth coming through the ranks--KANE-ROSE-WALKER-CARROLL-TOWNSEND-LIVERMORE,this is where our future lies-up at our new training ground.hope i have not bored you too much,bye for now.COME ON YOU SPURS!!